Newsletter of the Midwest Model Shipwrights  www.midwestmodelshipwrights.com  May 2013

●● Scuttlebutt ●● May Meeting Notice COMMODORE Bob Filipowski advised the crew that, due to an unforeseen schedule conflict with the church, our April meeting had to be cancelled. Using a Lathe We’re reprinting this note Bob emailed to members, with his permission, in case you missed it or are only on our By Paul Bein mailing list: Paul will give us a live demonstration on how he sets up and uses a lathe. Based on the impressive exam- Hello all, ples we have seen of his miniature marine engines, This is not the type of post meeting memo I like to we’re sure you’ll want to be there to see him work his write, but as some philosopher once stated, “Poop hap- magic with a lathe. pens!” For those of you that made it to the meeting Leon Sirota will also give us another review of a new last night, only to be turned away, my sincere apolo- “Model Shipways” kit coming on the market. gies. I called the church this morning, and they were very apologetic, and assured me that it wouldn’t hap- Our next meeting will be at 7:15 p.m. pen again. At least we would be given some warning in Wednesday, May 15, 2013 the future. Also, I checked, and there aren’t any other At the Community Presbyterian Church 407 Main Street in Mount Prospect events planned this year that will create a conflict with our meeting night. For those of you who do not know what I’m talking about, the church was running a huge rummage sale, ●● April Model Boat Show ●● which didn’t leave us any room for our meeting. To add The April Model Boat Show presented by the “Fleet 4 insult to injury, they didn’t give us any warning. When Commanders” R/C Scale Model we arrived last night, we were told that we could use Boat Club was held in Schaumburg, IL on April 14th. Model boats were the library for our meeting, but unfortunately, all the displayed by members of the furniture in the room is for people four feet tall! We R/C Model Yacht Club, had no choice other than to cancel. In retrospect, the Midwest Model Shipwrights, North- mental picture of all of us sitting in those little chairs shore Deadeyes, and the Nautical is quite humorous, but at the time, nobody was laugh- Research & Ship Model Society. Attendance was good, refreshments ing. were If Paul Bien is still willing and available, we will re- ample schedule his talk on using a lathe for our May meeting and on the 15th. every- Best regards, one had a great Bob Filipowski April 18, 2013 time. Our club was well repre- 2013 OFFICERS & STAFF sented by a number of mod- President (Commodore) - Bob Filipowski.…….(847) 398-5208 Vice Pres (Flag Captain) - Paul Pollowy ...….....(847) 298-0563 els and we even received a Treasurer (Ship’s Purser) - Ken Goetz ……….....(847) 678-4249 few membership inquiries. Secretary ( Ship’s Clerk) - Tony Serigos.……….(847) 392-3275 Kurt Van Dahm had his tug Newsletter Editor - John Mitchell .……...(847) 392-2259 fleet there and several were Photographer - Leon Sirota ...……....(847) 541-6285 successfully put up for sale. Web Master - John Pocius………...(630) 834-9477 - [email protected] See Boat Show, Page 2 The Forecastle Report, May 2013 - P.2P.2

Boat Show, continued from Page 1 Deck hardware on this model Richard Romaniak dis- was very realistic played his fine composite and the overall model of the Royal Louis finish very well (1:200), for which he won done. an award at the 2007 Wis- consin Maritime Museum Deck planking competition. The model and the lovely still hasn’t lost any of its marquetry work great viewing appeal. on the hatch

cover really set this sail- Steve Wheeler showed ing ship apart. The run- his unique marine engines ning rigging was also with a great 3-view display very well set up with box using mirrors. impressive metal fasten- ings.

A few other tugs were also there as was this ancient sailing ship with a full crew on deck.

The fire boat, below, looked very authentic and ready to go into action.

Bob Filipowski filled out the MWMS display table with his beautiful example of a 17th century war ship.

Bob and Peter looked very pensive towards the end of the day—too many bagels?

Steve and Kurt were faithfully on hand to answer modeling questions thrown their way and Kurt’s fine Picket Boat #1 also Of course, there were also many fine R/C was shown. models on display, both sail and prop driven. Here are a few examples of the smaller models shown, including a few with excel- Our club was well repre- lent figure details and a sented, thanks to all the couple of static models members who displayed showing really great models and visited the details. show . The Forecastle Report, May 2013 - P.3P.3

Both vessels were used on the for ad- ●● Great Lakes History ●● vanced training for naval aviators in carrier takeoffs and With the recent recovery of yet another WWII US Navy landings. One aviator that trained upon the Sable was a war plane from the bottom of Lake Michigan, there has 20-year-old Lt. JG, future president George H. W. Bush. been a renewed interest in the naval aviation training that Together, Sable and Wolverine trained 17,820 pilots in took place in and around Chicago between 1942 and 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were 1945. on Sable alone. Of the estimated 135-300 aircraft lost during training, 35 have been salvaged and the search for Central to this activity were the two side-wheel excursion more is underway. Some of the hazards of aircraft steamers that were converted to freshwater aircraft carri- carrier landings can be seen ers for pilot training. from these amazing photos taken during training operations The first of these was the USS Wolverine (IX-64), con- of a Grumman F6F Hellcat (L) verted from the 1913-built excursion steamer Seeandbee and a TBM Avenger. and commissioned 12 August 1942.

USS Wolverine IX-64 USS Sable IX-81

Career Career

Name: Seeandbee Name: Greater Buffalo

Builder: Shipbuilding Co. Builder: Am. Ship Building Co.

Launched: 1912 Launched: 27 Oct 1923

Acquired: 2 March 1942 Acquired: 7 Aug 1942

Commissioned: 12 Aug 1942 Commissioned: 8 May 1943

Decommissioned: 7 Nov 1945 Decommissioned: 7 Nov 1945

Renamed: Wolverine Renamed: Sable

Struck: 28 Nov 1945 Struck: 28 Nov 1945

Fate: scrapped Dec 1947 Fate: scrapped July 1948 Following this came the USS Sable (IX-81), con- General characteristics General characteristics verted from the 1923-built excursion steamer Greater Displacement: 7,200 long tons Displacement: 6,584 long tons (as Sable) Buffalo and commissioned Length: 500 ft. 8 May 1943. Length: 535 ft. (as Sable) Beam: 98 ft. Beam: 58 ft. Draft: 15.5 ft. Flight deck: steel Flight deck: 550 ft. wood Note: Propulsion: 3-cylinder inclined All photos and Installed power: 8,000 ihp compound steam engine.

Information can Propulsion: 4x coal-fired boilers, Speed: 18 kn (21 mph). be found on www. reciprocating engines. wikipedia.org. Compliment: unknown Speed: 18 kn (21 mph).

Compliment: 270 men The Forecastle Report, May 2013 - P.4P.4 tools described in chapter two, in addition to treenail patterns, spiling, edge bevels, caulking, scrapers HMS Euryalus (36) 1803 and moldings. A Plank on Frame Model The third chapter is entirely devoted to the “rother”, Volume II more commonly known to us as the Text by Allan Yedlinsky rudder. Related Plans by Wayne Kempson components are also covered. The rud- Distributed by: Sea Watch Books, LLC, Florence, Oregon www.seawatchbooks.com, [email protected] der’s laminate con- struction is dis- cussed, as well as gudgeons, pintles and the tiller bar, which was quite complex. Chapter 4 addresses the upper deck, and is one of the largest chapters in the book. Topics discussed include deck beams, carlings, ledges, pillars, hatch coamings, lodging knees and hammock battens. This last component is rarely mentioned in any mod- eling reference, and is an excellent example of the authors’ attention to detail. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 discuss Euryalus’ Coles-Bentinck pumps, capstans, and Brodie stove. All of these intricate subassemblies could be a model by them- selves. In each case, variations were discovered while re- searching these components, and decisions had to be made, which are explained by the authors. Arguably, the galleries and stern lights are two of the more complex assemblies on a model of this

have to admit that I have looked forward to HMS I Euryalus 1803 Volume II with great anticipation. Authors, Allan Yedlinsky and Wayne Kempson did such a masterful job on the inaugural edition that one couldn’t help but wonder what was coming. The fact that Volume II would be dealing with many intri- cate subassemblies made the anticipation that much greater. The authors start out with an introduction that out- lines some of the research and sources that went into writing this book. They state that sometimes it was simply a matter of arriving at the most realistic solution for a question. Where conflicts occurred, type. In chapters 7 and 8, the authors break down they identified them and explained the reasoning for the construction of these structures into logical their choices. steps, and offer many useful tips. Options, such as Chapters 1 and 2 finish the hull framing and plank- possible glazing materials are also suggested, and ing. Miniature planking clamps are one of the handy the pros and cons for each material are noted. The Forecastle Report, May 2013 - P.5P.5 sweeps and oars. The book concludes with an eight page section After a brief history of the Blomefield 18 pounder containing 13 color photos of the completed canon, which was Euryalus’s main armament, chap- model. There is also a print of a painting by ter 10 delves into the author’s techniques for repli- famed artist, Geoff Hunt, portraying HMS Eurya- cating this ordinance. As is the case with previous lus under sail. construction, options are discussed with the empha- The book has two appendices. Appendix A sis being on resin casting the canons in a one piece features a copy of the patent filed by Alexander mold. The gun carriages consist of 18 wooden Brodie for his ship’s stove. A list of drawings parts, plus various metal rods, bolts and caps. Use- available from the National Maritime Museum ful construction tips are provided, including two that pertain to Euryalus and Apollo class vessels clever jigs that help ensure consistency. are listed in Appendix B.

Located in a back pocket, there are 13 sheets of plans, primarily at a scale of 1:48, which are Chapters 11 through 14 discuss various aspects of drawn in four colors for easy interpretation and the forecastle, quarter deck , head and outboard at- use. Although this book does not discuss rigging, tachments. Head construction, with its cheeks, head drawings for the masts and spars are provided rails and head timbers, is probably one of the most for those wanting to go to the next step. daunting structures on the model. Yedlinsky tries to Whether you wish to build Euryalus, or some make the construction as painless as possible, but other warship from the Napoleonic Period, this admits that they are among the most difficult to book can be an indispensible reference. Allan make and fit in place properly. Yedlinsky and Wayne Kempson are to be con- The final chapter (15) is devoted to the ship’s gratulated for this benchmark achievement. boats. The plug method of construction is de- Reviewed by Bob Filipowski scribed, and there are also tables for the scantlings,

John R. Mitchell, Editor 2011 N Charter Point Dr. ● Arlington Hts., IL 60004